Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-09-21

THE present system of teachi ng in many
of the schools is sharply criticised for
want of its thoroughness. The Chicago
Tribune of the 18th, under the caption of
"a Mothers Vigorous Criticism con-
tains sharp attack upon the peculiar
method of instruction in vogue in large
number of the public schools. For the
benefit of those interested in the subject
We append portion of "a mother" pro-
test, and asdiscussion of the merits il the
case might prove entertaining and in
structive:
CHICAGO, Sept. 16.-As parent of
family of children [ am glad to see the
people of this city waking up to reallz-
ing sense of the present chaotic state into
which the present board of education is
plunging our common schools. Let any
mother in this city take her boy of II,
and if he has not been drilled constantly
at home, or is over and above precocious,
let her ask him to read the book she her
self read at or 10 years of age. | ven
ture to say he cannot read dozen lines
of it intelligibly. Reading is not taught
in our schools, for two reasons. First,
there is no time; and, second, there are
no books furnished the children which
are fit to read in. For example, the books
which the board of education places in
the hands of the teachers are the most
silly, stupid, milk-and-water productions
that can possibly be found. They are
below the comprehension of 4-year-oid
child The following is an illustration
of a half dozen pages from the First
Reader which is in use all over the city:
Is this rat?
This is rat.
Has he hat?
He has a hat.
This is a cat.
Has the cat rat?
This is fan.
has the rat FAM
The rat has a fan.
And so it goes on, the changes being
rung upon rat, hat, cat and fan until the
very brain of the child becomes dazed at
its inaDity. This book contains about
ninety pages of such slop, and children,
to my certain knowledge, are kept jung
ling over it for two whole years, or from
to S.
Now, it has been proved by statistics
that more than three-quarters of the boys
entering our public schools leave, to take
up the burden of life, at the age of Il or
IA. How many of these, think you, are
able to read a newspaper or book of such
miscellaneous matter understandingly?
Not one in 1000 can write letter nor
solve a question in common fractions
You would find upon inquiry at the shops
and dry-goods stores that these boys are
very deficient 10 the commonest rudi-
ments of learning
But, not satisfied with robbing our
children of their natural cleverness, they
are now robbing them Of the few hours
time In the day set apart for the acquire
ment of the branches they most need.
For instance, school opens and the boy
gets we'll at bis work, when in comes a
young girl to teach CD German half an
hour. After her comes music for twenty
minutes, and then drawing half an hour,
after which clay manipulation and calls
themes half an hour more, and now, God
forbid, comes the manual training craze.
In the name OF all that is holy, Mr..
Editor, when is that boy going to learn
to read, write and cipher?
have never believed in taxing the
people to furnish accomplishments to our
children, and all of these shams that have
been foisted upon the schools by the board
of Education to accommodate friend, or
find place for dependent, ought to be
abolished without delay. Then the in
dustry of teaching would be an opening
for our liberally-educated young men to
follow, and the professions of law, medi-
cine and journalism less crowded Peo-
pie who are able to pay for accomplish
ments would become the patrons of these
teachers. A MOTHER.
HE State fair last week in Milwaukee
was the most successful vet held in point